_Editorial

By Heather Taylor It was the battle of the breakfast bowls in 1965. Quisp, a zany pink alien, had met his match in Quake, a miner-themed superhero. While the two were technically sister brands from the Quaker Oats Company, only one would win the hearts and stomachs of kids — and as cereal history can already tell you it was…

By Heather Taylor Do you remember when the Pillsbury Doughboy used to appear on TV playing a trumpet or electric guitar? How about his brief stint in hip-hop or when he shimmied to the cornbread twist? The late 1980s to early 1990s saw a significant change in the Doughboy’s commercial spots created at ad agency Leo Burnett. Poppin’ Fresh, who…

By Heather Taylor This summer, 7UP enthusiasts in India will be heading “Back to Cool” with the soft drink’s new campaign made specifically with nostalgia in mind. Ad agency Coup Creative will be heading the ultimate throwback by bringing back six old school designs and featuring them on 7UP packaging, including ‘90s fan favorite Fido Dido. Before the laidback icon…

By Heather Taylor Robert Skollar on Being Best Friends With One of Advertising’s Biggest Icons Robert Skollar doesn’t mind admitting that he wasn’t a Kool-Aid fan as a kid. “My family never had it in our house.” He admits, “I only had it at summer camp. I was aware of the brand, and their mascot, but we traveled in different…

By Heather Taylor Eleven years before Pharrell Williams was spotted at the Grammy Awards in a fedora that bore a striking resemblance to the hat featured in the Arby’s logo, the fast food chain was turning heads for their latest advertising campaign. Arby’s introduced an animated character on March 2, 2003 named Oven Mitt to become the new spokes…mitt for…

Do you remember Bert and Harry Piel? In the 1950s, the popular icons were spokescharacters for Piels Beer and given a fictional backstory as the brewery’s animated owners. Ed Graham created that backstory, as well as the mascots, for the Piels campaign while he was a copywriter at Young & Rubicam (now known as Y&R). Decades after their first introduction…

By Heather Taylor 1998 saw the introduction of a new action hero in the brand mascot world. He stood at 14-inches high and had the backbone the size of Missouri. He was Buddy Lee in Buddy Lee: Man of Action, the latest ad campaign for Lee Dungarees from Lee Jeans. This wasn’t the first time audiences had been introduced to…

For years, we’ve pondered just how many licks it takes to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop. Only Mr. Owl, the wise character representing Tootsie Pop, seemed to have the answer. Three licks. That’s it! Savvy Tootsie Pop enthusiasts certainly know better and have spent decades trying to crack the sweet, secret formula to this chocolate…

The last time we saw the Energizer Bunny, he was bigger, better, and bunnier than ever. Now EB’s heading into business as the newly appointed Celebrity Creative Director representing the PEEPS brand — and working alongside its own iconic Pink PEEPS Bunny — just in time for the 2018 Easter season. The Pink Bunny, who serves as the Director of…

By Heather Taylor Before Chester Cheetah proclaimed his favorite orange dusted, cornmeal snacks to be “dangerously cheesy,” another character represented the Cheetos brand. He was the Chee-tos Mouse, and he loved the “cheese that goes crunch.” That’s not a typo in his name either. Before 1998, the Cheetos brand was stylized as “Chee-tos” with a dash for historical accuracy. The…

By Heather Taylor If you grew up with Hasbro’s Play-Doh, chances are you probably remember the little guy clad in the red beret on the packaging. His name was Play-Doh Pete and he was one of the brand mascots for the famous modeling compound. Where has Pete disappeared to and who are these other characters I’m talking about? Get your…

Happy National Ravioli Day! It’s a big day for Chef Boyardee and we’re celebrating with a look back at how this brand, and its real-life chef who serves as its famous face, transformed delicious pasta dishes for kids and adults. Hector Boiardi was born in Piacenza, Italy in 1897. In the above commercial spot, Hector is depicted as a curious…

By Heather Taylor, Editor-in-Chief, PopIcon Snap, Crackle, Pop… Pow? Yep, you read that right. In 1955, the Rice Krispies trio was a brief quartet with an additional gnome named Pow. Not much is known about Pow outside of the space helmet he wore and that his creation was solely based on sharing the nutritional value of the whole grain rice. He…